Then, at the critical moment, someone in the crowd shouted: "Vice President Gallagher is here!"
Every head turned. The employees straightened up and greeted Desmond Gallagher with respectful nods as he approached.
Desmond scanned the crowd, his brow furrowed.
"What's going on here? Why is everyone gathered at the front gate?"
Rupert stepped forward immediately, wearing a sycophantic grin as he addressed Gallagher with exaggerated deference.
"Vice President Gallagher, I just caught someone who snuck into the company through the back door. No proper hiring process, no formal recruitment. He just slipped right in."
"And his attitude is absolutely appalling. Not only did he refuse to cooperate with my investigation, he was openly disrespectful to my face."
"I know the boss is coming today for the big meeting, so I wanted to get this guy thrown out before the boss arrives. Last thing we need is some nobody causing a scene in front of him."
Maureen chimed in from the side, nodding vigorously.
"Exactly! He didn't just weasel his way in through connections. He had the nerve to speculate about the boss's personal interests and hobbies, talking trash about him behind his back."